Favs + Fumbles of Super Bowl 52

Relive the Best and Worst Game Day Ads

This may or may not have been the first year the majority of our native Philadelphians in the office watched the Super Bowl for more than just the commercials. And we couldn’t be happier. But since we’re a content studio ourselves, we couldn’t ignore the (in)famous commercials between the QBs’ trick plays. Below are some of the favs and fumbles we saw from Super Bowl 52’s commercial breaks. There seemed to be a couple themes here: Game of Thrones and ads making fun of ads for being an ad. And we didn’t hate it.

FAVS

Tide | It’s a Tide Ad

Shelly: It looped you in during the entire super bowl because you were always asking yourself, is this a Tide ad or a regular ad? The fact they were able to do that was brilliant. They owned the Super Bowl (and every commercial).

Dave: This was a great campaign and almost made me forget that people eat tide pods.

Stacey: TIDE CLEANED UP!

Peter: Excellent use of psychological warfare to try and turn the Tide Pod tide. Chief Hopper was well cast.

Eric: this was my favorite ad campaign. Very funny.

DORITOS BLAZE vs. MTN DEW ICE | Peter Dinklage and Morgan Freeman

Dave: This will hold me over until Game of Thrones returns. Dinklage is amazing.

Nicole: Another one that gave me chills for Peter Dinklage’s sheer bad-assery. I also love Morgan Freeman, but if I’m being really honest, I thought he was the weaker link here. Overall though, really fun!

Peter: A mesmerizing song of ice and fire, very well executed. I’m glad we got to hear Morgan’s voice at the end.

Toyota | Good Odds

Nicole: From the beginning, this one hit me right in the feels. From the sweet baby to the little ballerinas, to falling down and getting back up, to crossing the finish line, I was teary.

Dave: Powerful imagery designed to evoke emotion and a great story but doesn’t really make me want to buy a new automobile. I completely forgot this was a Toyota commercial.

Shelly: It was engaging, it was inspiring. It’s showing you can overcome insurmountable odds if you have that persistence. It was a wonderfully toned spot. The ending was a bit clunky but I think overall it was a great spot.

Amazon | Alexa Loses Her Voice

Nicole: Loved everything about this one, it just got better and better from beginning to end. Cardi B is like a cartoon character that has come to life.

Dave: I’ll give big props for such an ambitious spot. Amazon continues their worldwide takeover with this. Who knew Jeff Bezos had such range as an actor?

Stacey: Anthony Hopkins and Peacocks. Perfect Together.

Peter: Amazon certainly had the most star-studded cast this year. They’ve certainly done a good job of continuing to make Alexa a household name.

NFL Super Bowl | Giants Dirty Dancing

Dave: I don’t particularly like the Giants but I like the message they’re going for. In terms of Super Bowl Commercials Eli outperforms his brother Peyton for once.

Shelly: Incredible and hilarious! Excited to see how much more creative these touchdown celebrations can get.

Stacey: No one puts Eli in a corner.

Winter Olympics | Best of U.S. ft. Shaun White

Shelly: Simply amazing cinematography and editing.

Stacey: Makes me want to shred the slopes then binge-watch the Winter Olympics.

Eric. What a great comeback! And I loved how he saw a halfpipe in everything around him. He immerses himself in the sport.

Peter: Got me even more hyped for the Olympics. I don’t know if Shaun is the best of U.S. but he definitely has some ice in his veins.

Febreeze | The Only Man Whose Bleep Don’t Stink

Dave: I think this was a novel concept that worked because of the punchline (Dave isn’t at your Party, Everyone else is). It takes a bit to get there but there is plenty of fun stuff.

Shelly: Commercials with a character are usually the most memorable. Unfortunately, the character in this scenario is the guy at your Super Bowl party that needs Febreeze.

Stacey: Slightly long. But clever. Who doesn’t love poop jokes?

Peter: I have a feeling #bleepdontstink is not going to trend anytime soon…but the concept is funny.

ETRADE | This is Getting Old

Dave: The more I think about this one the more I like it. Good concept, good execution, good message. Silly but not over-the-top silly. Also really? over ⅓ of Americans have no plan for retirement?

Nicole: Totally agree with Dave. Takes a topic most people don’t like to think about, brings some humor to it in a lovable way without feeling condescending, and gets its message across.

Shelly: I don’t know, DJ Nana seems like she loves her job. No retiring for her anytime soon! Sorry, ETRADE!

Stacey: Making old people great again. The fireman with the out of control hose made me LOL.

FUMBLES

RAM Trucks | Martin Luther King Jr., Built to Serve

Nicole: Started powerfully with MLK Jr’s rousing words but when I saw the Dodge Ram truck- ew. Just gross. Crass commercialism.

Shelly: The minute the Dodge came into the picture it lost me. It wasn’t about the company or a philosophy. They just tried to entice you with MLK’s powerful words then BOOM they slapped their logo on the end. This is what happens when you don’t vet the commercials by diverse kinds of people to make sure you don’t offend anyone.

Dave: Ill-advised.

Stacey: RAM Trucks should be off-roading and pulling stuff. What’s the connection to MLK? Lost on me.

Peter: When MLK talks, people listen…but at the end, I just felt like Ram had appropriated an activist and icon to whom they have zero connection in the eyes of the public.

Diet Coke Twisted Mango | Groove

Dave: Everything about this is a weird choice and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth – similar to how I’d imagine drinking the product would. I’d be happy to never see this ad again in my life.

Shelly: Love her moves. Love her awkwardness. I’d probably be her friend in real life but as a Super Bowl commercial, it was lackluster.

Stacey: The perfect commercial for a quick potty break.

Peter: This one left the room squinting at the TV in confusion and thirsty for anything but a Coke. This seemed like a poor attempt at using influencers in a new way.

Bud Light | Pep Talk + Bud Knight

Dave: It’s a fun concept but I don’t find this one particularly memorable. ‘Dilly Dilly’ is no WAZZZUUUUP? Big setup but they didn’t quite stick the landing.

Shelly: The Dilly Dilly commercials leading up to the Super Bowl were brilliant. It takes talent to turn a slogan into a household mantra. However, the finale with the Bud Knight came up short for me.

Stacey: Dilly Dilly Silly.

Peter: I’m not exactly sure what I wanted the Bud Knight to do, but it wasn’t that. Shouldn’t everyone come together and share a Bud or something? Maybe it could’ve rained beer? I dunno.

Well, there you have it. Our favs and fumbles of the 2018 Super Bowl Ads. These are all, of course, just our humble opinions. Overall, the cinematography was gorgeous and the concepts were entertaining and creative, in one way or another.

What were your favorite Super Bowl commercials this year? Tweet us @koiflycreative!